Japan Govt Representative to Attend Takeshima Day Ceremony

Tokyo, Feb. 17 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government will send Hideyuki Nakano, parliamentary vice minister at the Cabinet Office, to Wednesday's annual ceremony for the islands of Takeshima in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, which will be hosted by the prefecture and others.

Koichi Tani, minister in charge of territorial issues, announced the plan at a press conference on Friday.

The Sea of Japan islands are effectively controlled by South Korea but claimed by Japan. They are called Dokdo in South Korea.

Nakano's visit will be the 11th consecutive trip by a parliamentary vice minister to the annual ceremony to mark Takeshima Day, designated by a prefectural ordinance. The event is intended to assert Japan's sovereignty over the islands.

While aware of a request from Shimane Prefecture for the dispatch of a cabinet minister to the Takeshima Day ceremony, the central government decided to send a parliamentary vice minister after examining various factors, Tani said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]